The time has come to celebrate all the people and places who make Dallas such an exciting city to dine in. The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards are back, and we can now reveal the 2025 nominees.

We’ve asked leaders of the city's culinary community to tell us which chefs, restaurants, bars, and more have set the standard in dining for the past year. Our judging panel will pick the winners in eight of the categories, including two exciting new "wildcard" contests: Best Coffee Shop and Best Eatertainment. CultureMap readers will pick the winner of Best New Restaurant in a head-to-head, bracket-style tournament that's sure to get heated.

We’ll celebrate the nominees and reveal the winners at our awards ceremony and signature tasting event on Thursday, May 1 at the new Astoria Event Venue.

More than a dozen of this year’s finalists will be serving bites, and our sponsors will supply all of the drinks necessary to keep the party going. Then we’ll reveal the winners in our short and sweet awards ceremony.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP (includes early access to the event and a dedicated bar). Prices will go up soon, and tickets will sell out. Act fast - you don’t want to miss out.

We’ll dive more deeply into the nominees in a special editorial series that celebrates their accomplishments. But first, a round of applause for all of this year's finalists:

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Cafe Momentum
• El Carlos Elegante
• Mirador
• Mister Charles
• Rye
• Starship Bagel
• Stillwell's
• Tatsu
• Written By the Seasons
• Zavala's Barbecue

CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Jeff Bekevac, Goodwin's
• Michelle Carpenter, Restaurant Beatrice
• Gabriel DeLeon, Mi Dia From Scratch
• Mansour Gorji, Gorji
• Jeffery Hobbs, Slow Bone
• Victor Hugo, Bucket & Rope
• Habip Kargin, Selda
• Dennis Kelly & Melody Bishop, Written by the Seasons
• Minji Kim, JOA Grill
• Masayuki Otaka, Mabo

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Parker Cantera, Resident Taqueria
• Ricardo Viesca Gutierrez, Sheraton Dallas
• Mario Hernandez, Nuri
• Cristina Lara, El Carlos Elegante
• Rhonda McCullar, Uchiba
• Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
• Jonathan Myrick, Cane Rosso
• Anais Paniagua and Iris Rojas, Doña Maria
• Fernando Ramirez, Thirsty Lion
• Jake Yoon, Naminohana

PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Meriel Bautista, Cafe Momentum
• Matt Bresnan, Bresnan Bread and Pastry
• Chelsea Gannon, Ruby Baking Co.
• Macarena Gomez, LA 57
• Bryan Motta, Breadhaus
• Dyan Ng, Le Passage
• Leen Kim Nunn, Omni Frisco
• Sara Saginaw, Swirled Peace
• Ryan Stipp, PGA Frisco
• Golda Sumpon, Ollio Patisserie

NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Cafe Madrid
• Cedar & Vine
• Dee's Table Burgers & More
• Loro
• Mayor's House By Selda
• Miss Pasta
• The Porch
• San Martin Bakery
• Wabi House
• Wagamama

BAR OF THE YEAR

• Bar Sardine
• Catbird
• Clifton Club
• Colombian Country Club
• Ginger's
• Milo Butterfingers
• Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub
• Scarlet Lounge
• Saint Valentine
• Valle Lounge

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

• Be Home Soon
• Bucket & Rope
• Catch
• Claremont Bar & Grill
• Elephant Indian Bar & Grill
• Even Coast
• Feng Shui
• Goldie's
• Goodwin's
• Jack & Harry's
• Kati Roll
• La Rue Doughnuts
• Mabo
• Nikki Greek Bistro
• Nuri
• Seager & Sons

BEST EATERTAINMENT

• Chicken N Pickle
• Eataly
• Happiest Hour
• Kanpai Coffee & Beer Garden
• Katy Trail Icehouse
• Komodo
• Punch Bowl Social
• Scout
• Suburban Yacht Club
• Truckyard

BEST COFFEE SHOP

• Arwa Coffee
• Common Good
• Civil Pour
• Hola Coffee
• Kanpai Coffee & Beer Garden
• Killer Joe
• Merit Coffee
• Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters
• Well Grounded Coffee
• White Rhino

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Dallas by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Whataburger, PicMe Events, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harvest Project Food Rescue.